1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rotary cookers, and in particular to a rotary cooker/smoker which is convertible between spit cooking and rotisserie cooking configurations and which is adapted to be rotated by solar power.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various cookers have heretofore been devised for meeting the requirements of different applications. For example, a variety of cookers have been devised for cooking with charcoal, wood chips and similar fuels which tend to flavor the cook items, especially meat, poultry and fish.
Rotary cookers are well known and facilitate thorough and even cooking of cook items by rotating them. One type of rotary cooker utilizes a spit for skewering food products thereon, whereafter the spit is rotated in proximity to a heat source. Another type of rotary cooker utilizes a rotisserie for rotating multiple cook items, which can be placed on trays within a heated cooking enclosure. Rotisserie cooking can provide an automatic basting effect as food drippings from upper food items drip onto and are absorbed by lower food items as they rotate.
Heretofore various charcoal grills and other portable cooking devices have been available for cooking without an external power source. Rotary cookers, however, often relied on exterior power sources for driving their electric motors, which in turn rotated the rotating components of the cookers. However, reliance on outside power sources or manual power for rotating the spits, rotisseries and the like in such previous cookers was often a drawback.
A possible solution is to utilize solar energy, converting it to electricity and powering the cookers therewith. Photovoltaic solar collectors are available for producing electrical current from direct sunlight. A relatively large and expensive collector array would be required to produce the necessary electrical current for directly powering the electrical motor of a large rotary cooker. However, for cookers which are used only intermittently, an electrical storage battery can be provided for storing the relatively small amounts of energy produced by a smaller photovoltaic solar collector array, which energy would then be available during the relatively limited times when the cooker is in operation.
The electrical energy requirements can further be minimized by providing a relatively small electrical motor with a gear reduction drive having a relatively high ratio, thus rotating the cooker rotary components relatively slowly. Cook items can normally be rotated relatively slowly with satisfactory results. Moreover, providing a gear reduction unit with a relatively high ratio can reduce the tendency of the rotating components to coast when the motor is deenergized. Loading the trays in a rotisserie can thus be facilitated since balancing the weight is not as critical.
Heretofore there has not been available a rotary cooker with the advantages and features of the present invention.